• Hadef & Partners' Maritime, Transport and Trade practice is a leading force in the industry, providing comprehensive legal services to a diverse clientele. Our team represents a wide range of regional and international clients, including P&I Clubs, underwriters, vessel and airline owners, transportation operators, charterers, commodity traders, ship repair yards, financial institutions, governmental authorities, port operators, and regulators. With our extensive expertise and deep understanding of the industry, we are well-equipped to handle the most complex legal matters in the field.

    Our team offers a full spectrum of legal services, from contract negotiations and transactions to dispute resolution. We are skilled in handling arbitrations and have a team of advocates qualified to appear before all courts and tribunals in the UAE. Our expertise covers various aspects of maritime, trade, and transport law, including charterparties, bills of lading, international sale and commodity contracts, trade finance and documentary credits, marine insurance and collisions, shipbuilding, repair and conversion contracts, admiralty and cargo claims, salvage and general average, as well as specialist oil pollution and environmental matters. Additionally, we provide legal support to offshore engineering and construction businesses operating in the UAE and the wider Arabian Gulf, along with the marine industries that service them.

    At Hadef & Partners, we take a specialized approach to all matters related to trade and transport, enabling us to provide our clients with a dedicated and expert team of lawyers who possess a deep understanding of the industry's commercial specifics. Our team is committed to delivering exceptional legal services, whether it's during contract negotiations, transactions, or disputes. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring that their interests are protected and their goals are achieved.

    • Representing a worldwide logistics company in four separate criminal proceedings associated with defaults by guarantors to trade facility loan agreements.
    • Advised a Bank to recover over US$37 million due under a facility agreement which was secured by a ship mortgage over the vessel “City Elite”.
    • Acting for the owners of a vessel and their P&I Club in respect of a dispute arising with the Charterers rejecting the ship’s hold stating it as unsuitable to load cargo.
    • Advising a bank pursuing a client for US$41 million against a guarantor.
    • Advising on unpaid bunkers claim involving bunkers supplied by our clients to a vessel.
    • Advised a Dubai developer and its subsidiary with regard to the grounding and salvage of a tug and barge on the Palm Jebel Ali breakwater, and sorting out various legal claims and arrest orders, and advising on salvage in relation to the same.
    • Providing a legal opinion for a well-known UK Bank concerning a corporate guarantee to secure a trade finance facility of USD 5 million.